Twenty-two fellows, including 2 Kenyan specialists and 1 from Uganda, graduated from the GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme on the 26th of April, after six months of intensive research and training, bringing the total number of GRÓ alumni to 1.600. GRÓ is a UNESCO Category 2 centre in Iceland that runs four capacity strengthening training programmes in the fields of fisheries, gender equality, geothermal energy and land restoration. Combined the programmes have been working for 100 years and all of them have been very active in the Eastern African region, with about 28% of the alumni from the region. Also, 57 Eastern Africans have received a scholarship to do a Master‘s degree and 17 a PhD.
One of the most noticeable features of fisheries in Eastern Africa, considering the long coastline, is the limited amount of fish catch originating from the ocean. Most of the fish is harvested from the great lakes of the region. An increasing amount also comes from a fast-growing aquaculture sector.
This fact is usually strongly echoed in the research projects of the GRÓ FTP fellows coming from the region. This year, for example, Chadwick Bironga Henry, from Kenya, assessed the sustainability of Lake Turkana and pointed at some ways to revitalise it as a food system, serving one of the most food-insecure regions of the country. Venny Mziri Mwainge, also from Kenya, focused in her research on tilapia cage culture in Lake Victoria. Apparently, the fast growth of this sector has created some problems related to water quality and diseases that need urgent attention. Evarist Nduwayesu, from Uganda, analysed acoustic data to map species composition of pelagic stock in Lake Albert.
A strong focus on Lake Victoria
Since the GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme started its work in 1998 almost 90 Eastern African fellows have been trained at the GRÓ FTP, most of them from the Lake Victoria region. The fellows have come from a number of key institutes in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and other partner countries. This training and research programme has supported fisheries professionals to conduct their mandates and systems analysis. For example, the fellows research focus has been on strengthening fisheries management systems, data collection, policy research for competent authorities and food science.
Chadwick Bironga Henry from Kenya delivered the address on behalf of the 2023 Cohort. He thanked the GRÓ FTP and all its partners for their assistance throughout the training period. “Beyond the technical knowledge and cultural exposure, what has made this program truly special is the people,” he said.
"We have formed bonds with our fellow participants from fifteen countries spread throughout the globe from Asia through Africa, the Caribbeans to Central America. Throughout this program, we have been reminded time and time again of the importance of cooperation, capacity building, knowledge-sharing, and research in achieving sustainable development. We have seen how different approaches to fisheries management can work in practice, and we have been inspired to take these lessons home with us and apply them in our own contexts."
For more information about the work of the GRÓ Centre for Capacity Development, Sustainability and Societal Change, that works under the auspices of UNESCO as a Category 2 centre, see www.grocentre.is.